Apparatus for spraying liquids



United States PatentO APPARATUS FOR SPRAYING LIQUIDS SterIing'MJBermau, Fairlield, (Tenn.

.iApplication April 13,'1954, Serial No. 422,741

Claims. (Cl. 222333) Thisinvention: relates to apparatus for spraying liquids and 'more particularly to' sprayers wherein. the liquid to be sprayed is"forciblyejected in substantially atomized form.

Theuutility of an inexpensive electrically operated device forrspraying liquids innon-commercial or semi-commercial use :has long been recognized. Various sprayers have-been proposed for usefor this purpose having vibrator'type'motors'activating reciprocatory movement of a rod'extending through an outlet tube to force the liquid upthrough the "outlet tube. However, these sprayers employ means*=whereby the liquid, seeking its level in the container, partially rises inthe discharge tube and is vthereafterpurnped 'out to be sprayed by means of the reciprocatory movementof the rod extending through the:=tube as aforesaid. In'other words, the liquid is forced intoand thereafter out of the tube 'by 'means of the pressure exerted and the displacement of theliquid *by the rod in' its downward stroke. With such construction, the 'spraying operation oftentimes proves unsatis- 'factory inthat in manyinstances, especially when the liquid in the container is at a relatively low level, an insufiicient amount of-liquid seeks its level in the discharge tube to'be pumped out and sprayed. ln addition if the intake means at the base of the tube becomes clogged,

the sprayer is rendered completely inoperative.

It is an object of the present invention to provide means for forcing liquid to be sprayed from a container with consideraole'force and in appropriate quantities.

It is afurther object of the present invention to provide -means for-forcing liquid to be sprayed from a container which will permit'the utilization of all of the liquid in the container.

It is'still a further object of the present invention to provide means forforcing liquid to be sprayed from a container in which clogging of the passage means carryingltheliquid to be sprayed, is substantially prevented. It is*stilla"further 'object' of the present invention to providemeans for forcing liquid to be sprayedfrom a containerwhich hasall of the aforesaid advantages but .which is nevertheless inexpensive to manufacture and 'simple'to construct.

' Other "objects and advantages of the present invention are set forth in detail iuthe accompanying specification taken in'conjunction with the accompanying drawings in be a glass jar or aluminum jar or any other suitable material may be used. The container is provided with external threads 11. A substantially hollow cover 12 Patented Nov. 4, 1958 constructed of plastic, aluminum or any other suitable -material,-having internal threads 13 is threadedly secured to the container 10. The cover-12 is provided at one .side with':a handle 14, constru'ctedof any desired size or shape, bymeans of which the sprayer is held by the user in operation.

The usual type of magnetic vibrator motor (not shown) is located Within the cover12 and isprov-ided with' an arm 15 of magnetizable material. Thei armls isadapted to rock'pivotally about a predetermined axis in response to the energizing of the coils in the v ibrator'motor. The cover 12 is provided with internal stops in any manner well known in the art to limit the movement of the arm 15. Electrical impulsesare "furnished to the motor through the Wire"16 which-=passes throug'li the handle 14 for connection at one extremity 'to the r'r'iotor. -The wire extends at its otherextremityto-an alter-natingcurrent-supplysourceor to a direct current s'upply-"source which has been converted to alternating current in any well-known manner,- asfor example, by means of an interr upter in the circuit. A s'witch"17,'is' provided in the handle 14, -for controllingthe supply of electricity -to the motor. The othersideof thecover has-an aperture 18 for the purposes hereinafter set forth. The cover 12 is {provided witha base plate 19 having an openin'g 20 adaptedto receive a cylinder 21. The cylinder is protvided at theupper'end with a cylinder head 22 extending into the cover '14 as shown. T he base-23" of the cylinder head rests against the edges of the aperture 20 in'the base plate 19. The cylinder head 22 is provided with a*bo're"24' adapted to receive-the upper portion ofa vertically extending' piston rod'25. The upper"extremity"26 is provided with 1 a collar "27 which underlies the underside zd 'ofone extremity 29 of the arm 15. A coiled eXpanSiQn spring 25 with its opposite ends engaging thetopof-'thecylinder I head22 and the base of the collar 27.

30 is mounted around the=piston rod The 'lower portion of' the piston rod 25 extends into the cylinder 21. The lower portion of said-pistorr rod is provided with an enlarged portion 31 which is of-substantially the samediameter as thediaineter of the bore 32 of the cylinder 2l. Preferably the outer walls of the enlargedportion 31 of the-piston- 25 slid-ably engages the walls of' the bor'e32 providing asubstantially air=tight interfitting relation for the purposes hereinafter-"set forth.

1 The cylinder 21' is disposed in the container ltl in a vertical position. The upper portion of the cylinder 21 is providedwith apertures '21 for the purposes hereinafter set forth; "T he lowerportion is located-adjacent thebottom of the said container. The lower portion of the cylinder '21- is secured, to a checkvalve-33 by means of co-operating threads 34, provided on the'exterior of "the cylinder andthe interior of the checkvalve as shown,

or f by any other suitable securing means. i The check 38' overlying the ball 36 and held in place 'in 'the lower portion of the -iittir'1'g35 between an arinular shoulder 3 in the fitting an'd the base 'of the cylinder 21.

The cylinder 21 is provided with'anaperture or'port 40 located onone side'of the cylinder-a relatively small distance from the baseof-the cylinder. The location of -the aperture' dttmn the cylinder is such that it is *not blocked or 'cl'osedby the check valve} 33-when secured tothe cylinder 2.1as he-reinbefore described.

The 'pis'ton' rod 25 is so arranged that in its maximum "upward position the 1 base "of the 1 eollar 31 is slightly above the aperturedil for the purpose-s hereinafteriset forth.

Adischarg'e. tube 41- is provided adjacent :the cylinder 21 as 'shown in the drawings. The Iopening 42-at the base of the discharge tube islocated on' fi the aperture 40 in the cylinder 21. Preferably, the opening 42 is of the same diameter as the aperture 40, with the portion of the discharge tube surrounding the opening 42 abutting that portion of the cylinder 21 which surrounds the aperture 40. The lower portion of the discharge tube is so constructed as to curve into the cylinder 21 at the aperture 40. The upper extremity 43 of the discharge tube is connected to a nozzle 44 for the ejection of the liquid to the article to be sprayed. The nozzle 44 comprises a body 45, provided with an orifice 46, a cap 47, also provided with an orifice 48, secured to the body and an O-ring 49 to prevent leakage held between the body 45 and the cap 46. The body 45 and the cap 47 co-operate to cause the fluid forced therethrough to be in the form of a fine mist or spray. Adjustment of the spray may be obtained by turning the cap 47 on the body 45 so that the relation between the orifice 46 and the orifice 48 is varied whereby sprays of varying density are obtained.

Having thus described in detail the various parts of the sprayer of this invention, the coaction of these parts to operate the sprayer is as follows:

The container 10, while uncovered, is filled with a substantially non-viscous liquid, such as paint, varnish, or water. The cover 12 carrying base plate 19, handle 14, cylinder head 22, cylinder 21, discharge tube 41, nozzle 44 and all other parts hereinbefore described and interfitting therewith, is tightly secured to the container 10. The lower portion of the cylinder 21 is immersed in the liquid in the container 10. The spring 30 on the piston rod 25 normally urges the collar 27 against the underside of the arm 15 at its end portion 29 when the arm is stationary.

The wire 16 is connected to a power supply of the alternating current type whereby the closing of the switch 17 energizes the magnetic motor, not shown, which in turn causes the arm 15 to pivot about an axis within predetermined limits so as to rock. The pivoting of the arm 15 causes the underside thereof to strike the top of the collar 27 depressing the spring 30 and causing the piston rod 25 to move down into the cylinder 21 slightly beyond the aperture 40. The arm 15 then swings up causing the spring 30 to urge the collar 27 carrying the piston rod 25 upwardly to a point where the bottom of the enlarged portion 31 is slightly above the aperture 40 in the cylinder 21. This upward movement creates a vacuum within the bottom portion of the cylinder 21 as a result of no air passing thereto because of the substantial airtight fit between the outer walls of the enlarged portion 31 and the inner walls of the bore 32 within the cylinder 21. The ball 36 in the check valve 33 is displaced by the vacuum so created and permits a relatively large amount of the liquid to rush from the container into the bottom portion of the cylinder and, upon downward movement of the piston, such liquid is forced through the aperture 40 in the side of the cylinder and the opening 42 at the base of the discharge tube 42, up a substantial distance into said discharge tube. The next or succeeding downward stroke of the piston 25 further urges the liquid up into the discharge tube 41 for forcible ejection from the nozzle 44, in spray or mist form. The above operation is thereafter repeated with the arm rocking rapidly causing the piston to move up and down a great many times per second. The small diameter of the tube 41, as compared with the large area of the opening 37, will prevent any appreciable amount of liquid from being sucked into the lower portion of the cylinder 21 from the tube, during the existence of the vacuum therein; most of the liquid will enter the cylinder through the much larger opening 37. In other proposed sprayers the vacuum described is not created and the amount of liquid drawn up into the cylinder is negligible. In most instances the cylinder itself acts as the discharge tube. In those structures where a separate discharge tube is provided, there is no co-relation between the discharge tube and the cylinder, and piston particularly, as shown in the present invention. It is to be noted that the vacuum created causes the liquid to rush up into the cylinder and during the compression stroke the liquid is forced into the discharge tube. Thus it may be easily discharged in an extremely advantageous manner with great force by the pressure of the downward stroke of the piston rod 25. Liquids at very low levels within the container may be utilized for the reason that the vacuum created will cause even such low level liquid to rush into the lower portion of the cylinder as aforesaid. In other devices in which the cylinder also acts as the discharge tube, the liquid by-passes the cylinder at all times causing the same to clog up in many instances whereby the entire device is rendered inoperative. In accordance with the present invention the pressure exerted by the liquid in the separate discharge tube will prevent such clogging. A further advantage resides in the fact that any clogging of the screen 38 or the opening 37 wherein the ball 36 is seated, will be eliminated by the force as exerted by the liquid seeking the vacuum within the cylinder. In the event, as may occur in rare instances, that liquid does seep by the enlarged portion 31 and up into the upper portion of the cylinder, apertures 21 are provided in said upper portion of the cylinder so that the liquid may return therefrom into the container. It will be noted that these apertures are so located that they are normally above the top level of the liquid within the container and are not blocked thereby.

While I have described my invention in some detail, it will be understood that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for spraying liquids comprising a container in which the liquid is to be placed, a discharge tube extending into the container, the lower end of said tube being closely adjacent the bottom of the container, a cylinder disposed in the container in a vertical position adjacent the bottom, the lower portion of the cylinder having a port and around said port being secured to said discharge tube, a piston closely fitting said cylinder at said port and reciprocable past the port to cover and uncover the latter; a check valve communicating with the cylinder and arranged to permit ingress of liquid into the cylinder, a magnetic vibrator motor connected to the piston to reciprocate the same, the piston moving upward and downward in the cylinder to uncover and cover respectively the port connected to the discharge tube and said piston during part of its downward stroke forcing the liquid into the discharge tube.

2. An apparatus for spraying liquids comprising a container in which the liquid is to be placed, a discharge tube extending. into the container, the lower end of said tube being closely adjacent the bottom of the container, a cylinder disposed in the container in a vertical position adjacent the bottom, the lower portion of the cylinder having a port and around said port being secured to said discharge tube, a piston slidably engaging the inner wall of said cylinder at said port and reciprocable past the port to cover and uncover the latter; a check valve communicating with the cylinder and arranged to permit ingress of liquid into the cylinder, a magnetic vibrator motor connected to the piston to reciprocate the same, the piston moving upward and downward in the cylinder to uncover and cover respectively the port connected to the discharge tube and said piston during part of its downward stroke forcing the liquid into the discharge tube.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1 in which the lower end of the discharge tube abuts a side wall portion of the cylinder surrounding the said port.

4. The invention as defined in claim 3 in which the port is substantially the same size as the bore of the discharge tube.

5 5. The invention as defined in claim 1 in which the lower end portion of the discharge tube meets and makes an acute angle with a side wall of'the cylinder at the said port.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,633,590 Gourdon Mar. 27, 1928 

